Ore-feeder



(No Model.)

G. 0. MUELLER.

ORE FEEDER.

Patnted May 20. 1890.

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GEORGE C. MUELLER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ORE-FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 428,346, dated May 20,1890.

Application filed April 3, 1890- ;Serial No. 347,037. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it-known that I, GEORGE C. MUELLER, of the city of St. Louis, in theState of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement inOre-Feeders, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to an improvement in ore feeders or conveyersespecially adapted for conveying crushed ore to stamp-batteriesregularly and steadily whether the ore is crushed fine or coarse or iswet or dry.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of exceedinglysimple and durable construction capable of use as a feeder or conveyerfor all kinds of' material in a broken orpulverized state-such asgypsum, cement, lime, mortar, &c.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters and figures of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a central vertical section through the machine. Fig. 2 is atransverse section on line 20 w of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionon line m 00 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a similar section on line y y ofFig. 1, the shed being in a raised position.

The body or casing 10 is preferably constructed in two horizontalsections a and a, and the said casing is formed with an inclined curvedbottom, cylindrical ends, and bulging sides a at the center, the saidenlargement a of the casing being curved at the base, as shown best inFig. 3, partaking of a rectangular contour above the base, with lesswidth ordinarily than the cylindrical section, as illustrated at a inFigs. 2, 3, and 4. Where the sections a and a of the casing are broughttogether at their upper or highest ends the meeting line is not madestraight, but the contacting end surface of the upper section a isconvexed and the lower section concavcd, as best illustrated at a inFig. 3.

Vithin the casing at the base an auger-like screw conveyer 11 is held torotate, being mounted upon a suitable shaft 12, which shaft casing.

is carried through the upper end of the easing and provided, preferably,with a worm wheel 13, which meshes with a suitable worm upon adrive-shaft 14; but the conveyershaft may be otherwise driven, if founddesirable.

To prevent the conveyer-shaft from slipping and to retain it in place acollar 15 is formed upon the said shaft at its upper bearing-surface,andin order to prevent any of the fine dust from entering the upper bearingof the shaft a disk 16 is secured thereon, which disk fits the interiorwalls of the base of the casing at the upper end, as is best illustratedin Fig. 1; and in order that none of the pulverized material or finedust shall clog the interior of the base of the casing at its upper enda longitudinal groove 17 is produced therein, which groove graduallylessens in depth as it approaches the center of the The conveyer 11engages with the bottom of the casing throughout its length, and thesaid bottom is made curved, in order that the conveyer may moreperfectly contact with the bottom surface.

In the upper end of the central rectangular portion of the casing ahopper 18 is fitted, which hopper may be made of any suitable material,wood, however, being preferred.

lVithin the rectangular upper section a of the casing an adjustable shed18 is located, which shed is essentially triangular, representing aninverted V, and in each end of said shed at its center a vertical groove19 is produced, which grooves receive vertical ribs 20, formed upon theinner end surfaces of the casing, as is best shown in Fig. 2. Theadjustment of this shed is effected by causing teeth 21 to be formedupon one wall of each of the grooves 20, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, andwith each row of teeth a pinion 22 engages, mounted upon a spindle 23,journaled in the rectangular portion of the casing, one end of whichspindle projects beyond the same, and is fitted with a ratchet-wheel 24,with which a dog 25 contacts, pivoted upon the outer face of the casing.By revolving the spindle 23, which maybe turned by means of a hand-reelor other equivalent device, the shed 18 maybe raised or lowered, asdesired, and held in any predetermined position by the dog 25 andratchet-wheel 24. To accommodate the pinions 22, the ribs 20 upon theeasmg are cut away at the point through which the spindle passes, asindicated in said Figs. 3 and 4.

The base is preferably constructed of metal, the sections being properlybolted together, and the entire device is preferably used for feedingcrushed ore to stamp-batteries in silver and gold mills and for allsimilar purposes where a steady and regular supply of material of anykind is wanted.

The crushed ore is fed into the hopper'and guided by the shed 18, whichshed causes the ore to run down at each inclined side thereof, whereuponthe ore is carried by the conveyer out through the lowerend of the casing, which 1s open, and delivered to any suitable receptacle.

The adjustable shed is introduced in order to take away any top pressurefrom the conveyer and to feed the ore to the said conveyer sidewiseinstead of from the top, and the said shed is made adjustable in orderto increase or to decrease the space between it and the walls of thecasing, and thus regulate the passage of the ore between them.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In an ore-feederor similar machine, the combination, with a casing provided with a basehaving an inclined bottom, of a screw conveyer held to revolve in thecasing at the bottom and an adjustable essentially-triangw' lar shedlocated in the casing above the conveyer, substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. In an ore-feeder or similar machine, the combination, with a casingcomprising a base having an inclined bottom and open at one end and anupper section of greater width and less length than the base-section, ofa screw conveyer held to revolve in the basesection of the casing incontact with its bottom and a vertically-adj ustable shed havingdownwardly-inclined sides located in the upper portion of the casing,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In an ore-conveyer or similar machine, the combination, with a casingcomprising a base-section having an inclined bottom and an open end anda groove in said bottom and an upper section of greater width than thebase-section and of less length, of a conveyer held to revolve in thebase-section, a triangular shed held to slide vertically in the uppersection, provided with teeth at its ends, a shaft journaled in the uppersection of the casing beneath the shed, and pinions secured to the saidshaft, engaging with the teeth of the shed, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

4. In an ore-feeder or similar machine, the combination, with a casingcomprising a basesection having an inclined bottom and an open end andthe sides enlarged at the center, and an upper section of less lengththan the base-section and of less width than the enlarged portion ofsaid section, and a conveyer held to revolve in the base-section incontact with the bottom, of an essentiallytriangular shed fitted toslide in the upper section of the casing, provided with teeth at eachend, a spindle journaled in the upper portion of the casing beneath theshed, provided with pinions engaging with the teeth of said shed, and aretaining device, substantially as shown and described, acting upon saidspindle, all combined for operation as and for the purpose specified. v

GEORGE C. MUELLER.

Witnesses:

HENRY ELLIOTT, OTTO WOLFF.

